Jersey's community comes together to reimagine the Occupation Tapestry

100 people from all walks of life have come together to reimagine the Occupation Tapestry, 30 years after it was first created.

Months of work have culminated in paintings of the tapestry being showcased at an exhibition in the Maritime Museum, which holds the original woven tapestry which was unveiled in 1995.

'Colour our Collection' is formed of 12 large acrylic paintings that represent the 12 original tapestry panels.

It has taken eight months to reach this point, with various community groups, parishes and even La Moye prison getting involved.

There were 55 drop-in sessions, with more than 100 participants, spending a total of 400 hours and using 10 litres of paint for all 12 canvases.

Melissa Rodrigues, Jersey Heritage’s Outreach Curator, says the exhibition is a celebration of a wonderful community project that has been a joy from start to finish.

"A big thank you goes to everyone we have worked with on the project since it began in April.

"With islanders’ help, we have 12 beautiful and colourful paintings to mark two special anniversaries in the Island’s history.

"This creative project has been a lovely way to engage with the community and an incredible opportunity for us to hear islanders’ stories, especially from some of the original tapestry participants, who reunited to help us to create the paintings of the panels they stitched back in 1995."

Jersey Heritage also had the help of one of the original sewers, Anne-Marie Willing, who shared her stories from her time stitching the Occupation Tapestry in the 90s.

Whilst taking part in the St Peter workshop, Anne-Marie brought along bags of photo albums and other materials that helped to capture the essence of the original project.

She says she likes to keep records of things and took lots of photos as the St Peter panel progressed.

"Those photos have been in my home for 30 years – I got them out when I went to the painting sessions, and it was nice to be able to reminisce and meet up with some of the other Tapestry workers.

"I’m not a painter nor an expert in needlework, but I enjoyed being part of both projects and am delighted my photo albums and memorabilia are now likely to be cared for at Jersey Archive to help to share the story of the people behind the Occupation Tapestry."

Anne-Marie Willing in 1995

The ‘Colour our Collection – Occupation Tapestry’ exhibition will be open daily from 10am 4pm and will run until Thursday, 11 December 2025. Usual entry fees apply. Free to Jersey Heritage Members and children under the age of six.